Underframe for railway-cars.



o. F. RICE.. UNDERI'RAMB FOR RAILWAY GARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1909.

f 4 gli( ATTORNEY.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P l l INVENTOR.. Zgf/a/ZWZM ATTORNEY.

Patented July 27, 1909.

" 313:1) STATES ri-irENr oracion.

CLIFFORD l". RICE, Ol" SPRINGFIELD, MSSACIIUBH'VI'S, ASSIGNUR 'lO WASONMAN UFACI'UR- ING UUMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

' UNDERFRAME FOR` RAILWASQ-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2'?, 1909.

Appncanun fnea Fepntry 9, 1909. serial No. 476,978.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that l, Cmrrouo F, bien, a

citizen o1 thcllnitcd States ci' America, and

.resident of Springiield, in the county ot' l'lanipden and Stale ofMassachusetts, haveA invented certain new and useful Improvements inUmler'fraincs tor Rail\\'ay(lars, ot which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in an underframe for a railwaycar, more especially a street railway car.

An object of the invention is to provide b the use of structural steelof shapes easily o tainable, and the employment of new forms ofconnections of the parts, a car 'bod under-frame which while unnsualllight, is of great strength and rigidity; and

which requires, by the absence of castings or forgings not only greatlylessened exl pense in manufacture as occasioned by the materialsemployed but also greatly lessened cost for labor because of thefacility with which the parts maybe fitted together and united for themaking of the underframe.

Another obgect of the invention is to provide an underframe in whichvery little transverse space is occupied by the side sills for thegreater portion of the height ot the latter whereby even althoughthc-under frame is but slightly above the top ot the car wheels such-wheels in running around curves` may have capabilities for greaterswinging movements than is ordinarily thc case where side sills of theusually wide and deep constructions are employed.

Other objects oi the invention are at-. tained inA and by theconstructions, combi nations and arrangements of parts which constitutethis invention and which are hereinatter fully land particularlydescribed in conjunction with the accompanying draw# 4ings and set forthin the claims.

1n the drawings Figure l is a top plan View of one end portion of myimproved steel undertrainc for ystreet-cars; Fig 2 is acentrallongitndinal section ot' the same on line QMQ, Fig. 1 ,-Fig. 3 isa crossy sectional view taken on line 3 3, Fig. 1; Fig. l a crosssectional vlew taken on line 1 -4, Fig.

1, and Fig. is a similar cross section, but

taken on line .Vr-5, Fig. l; Fig. l is a sew i Fig.

to the other.

'i' is a i,-crs|r.\cti\'c View of the middle 55 )1n-lion oll oney of thetransverse. ilona-beanie. in (he drawing-i` 1U indicate thelongitudinally exnndinl;y renter sill oi' the car body nnderi'ranxe,which extends lroln end to end ilu-rent, and is tol-ined in onc integralpar( vl'roni a steel channetbcani ot thc crossA sectional shape shown inFigs. i lo 5.

12, 12, designate the side-walls which are l'ornied from steelbulb-angle irons or beams, thc depending vertical llanges 13 of whichare about double thc width ot' the horizontal flanges 11 thereof. Thelower edgecportions of the flanges 13are rounded and reinforced by thebulb-edges 15 formed thereon, and which give increased lateral strengthto the said lange, which combined with the beforementioned extra widthof thc salue produces a sii'e-sill which is capable ot' resisting thevertical strain of heavy loads.

The center-sill 10 and side sills 19. of the underfranlc are united bythe body bolster 1li. The bolster, as ll prefer to construct it,includes a central channel block 17 disposed below the channel shapedcenter sill, having a centralized upper portion thereof of rcdnced sizewhich lits snugly within the inverted channel ol' the center sill, scoFig. 4l.

Secured by through-bolts 18 to the centersill 10 and to thc top andbottom faces ot the block 17 are thc upper and lower members 19, 19a ofthe bolstery truss. These truss members are formed of flat steel bars ofa width equal t0 the longitudinal din'lension of the holster-block 17and extend unbroken from side to side of the under-frame. The oppositeend portions of the truss members 19 and 19l1 are united and secured tothe nnder side of the side-sill flanges 111 by the bolts 20. The ends ofthe upper truss member 19 are bent downward at right angles and abutagainst the inside faces ot' the flanges. 13 ot the side sills 12,thereby imparting` increased lateral strength as well as load sustainingstrength to the underframe at such place.

The underframe toward a central part thereof and longitudinally inwardlyfrom the bolster 1G, is provided with, preferably, two transverseIlbcams or transonis 25, (one thereof being shown in Figs. 1, Q and 5),and which extend unbroken from one sido-sill 1Q.

The end portions of thc transoms are united to the side sills 12 by thesaddle blocks QG, to which the end portions of the transoms are rivetedand .which in` turn are riveted tov the vertical flanges 13 of theside-sills. rlyhe under-side faces' or the Saddle-blocks 2G have rivetedAthereto the struts 27 which form a part of the side-sill truss 28.Thetransoms 25 pass. under the center sill '10 (see Fig. 5) and aresecured which also extend, unbroken,

thereto by the rivet-united angle-plates 29. The underframe is furtherstrengthened laterally by the transverse steel door beams 30, from oneside--v sill 12 to the other. These door-beams 30 (8 or 10 in number inthe length ofv a car) are.

provided at uniformly spaced distances apart throughout the underframe,and are formed of steel angle irons arrangedwith the upper membershorizontally, and theirv The ends of the lower members vertically.transverse door beams abut against the vertical flanges 130i theside-sills 12, and the end portions of the top flanges 31 of the saidfloor beams 30 are riveted to the undersides of the top flanges 14 ofthe sidesills,y such.

i propelled Street-cars.'

Y 'either lside of the bolster 16gare connectedv "3 to 5. The invertedsill 10 also provides floor beams between their middle centersillengaging portions and' the side sills having slight downwarddeflections as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The central portion of theverti-4cal flanges 32 of each floor beam 3() is for a distance equal to thewidth of the center-sill l0 bent upward to ahorizontal position andintoclose contact with the underside of the floor beam flange 3l, as shownat 33 in Figs. 3, 6 and 7', and is secured in this position to the topface of the center-sill 10 vby rivets. The underframe is further bracedand sup ported against lateral strains by the pairs of flat steel braces40 which, as seen in Fig. 17V extend from a point on the center-sill 10centrally` ofthe underframe'diagonally to each side-sill 10.

The ends of the center and side-sills of the underframe are united andrbraced by theA usual end sill 15. K

The downwardly open space 48 yunder the inverted trough shapedchannel-beam forining lthe center-sill 10 extendsv in one unbrokenlength end of the underframe to the other, and provides a convenient andsafe storage s ac'e or conduit for the. electric wires 50 lea ing to and-from the motors provided in electrically -t is generally preferred -tomaintain and carry the several wires 50 within the space 48 under thecenter` sill in cablev forni as shown in Figs. channelbeam center-`undcrirame a strong and elticient means for securing thereto thedraft-sills' 55- which are riveted to the `center-sill 10, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

The two ioor beams 30 adjacent, and at together by longitudinallyarranged flat bars 60, which extend parallel to the center -sill fromone end sill 45 at one.

at each end of the 12, see Fig. 1. yThe space 62 between the bars G0 andbetween the ioor beams 30 to which their ends are riveted is not coveredby the ilooring of the car, but by la separate cover or trap cess to themotor of the caris assured.

@ne important object attained by the use door, whereby convenient ac`.

of the bulb-angle side-sills 12, before described, is that, inaddition-to their strength and power to resist vertical and lateralstrains, not possessed by ordinary steel angle beams,=such Vbulb-angleside-sills having the positionsl and relations sliown'in the crosssectional viewsv of the drawings, and by dotted `line indications intheplan View, Fig. l, a'itord increased Aspace between the opposite sillswherebythe car trucks 65v beneath the underframe may turn on curvesofshorter radius than.would be the case it the underframecomprised thewider and morebulky side-sills as heretofore ordinarily used.

t is to be noted in the construction of the ',underraine Aasparticularly represented in Fig. 3, that the tops'of the horizontal inywardly extending ilanges comprised in the side sills areslightly'higher than the horizontal top or baclrof the center-sill sothat when the series of transverse loor beams 30 are connected with thecenter-sill and with the horizontal iianges of the side-sills, the

tops of the central portions of the iioor beams and the tops of theside-sill center flanges constitute supports all at one level both atthe median line and of the underframe for the flooring 69.

1. In an under'fraine of a railway car a longitudinal center-sillconstituted by an -inverted channel iron, opposite longitudinal sidesills constituted by angle irons coinj prising vertical outwardlydisposed side tlanges and horizontal ilanges inwardly extendedt'roin'tlie upper portions ot the vcrtical tianges, transverse metallici'loor beams centrally crossing in contact on the top of thecenter-sill, having their portions at opposite sides inclined4 andhaving their extremities engagedunder the inwardly extended hori at theopposite sides Y vertical outwardly disposed side flan' esiiol of thelatter slightly downwardly i'it flanges', having their tops slightlyhigherIy vthan the top of the center sill, transverse metallic tlo'orbeams centrally crossing in contact on the top of the center-sill,having their portions atI opposite sides of the latter l and the lowertruss member having its inter'- shght'ly downwardly lncllned and havmgmediate portlon engaged under said block their extremities engaged underthe inwardly extended horizontal members of angle ironsconstituting theside sills whereby the tops ot' the sideslll horizontal flanges, and ofthe middle portions of the floor beams constitute a level support forthe car flooring, and rivets, or lil-:e fastenings, for uniting thetloor beams centrally to the center-sill and at their' extremities tothe side sills.

Il. In an un erframe et' a railway car, a longitudinal center-sill(,-onstituted by an inverted channel iron, opposite longitudinal sidesills constituted by angle irons comprising vertical side flanges havingeach a longitudinally continutms bulb-like enlargement at its lower edgeand horizontal flanges inwardly extended from the upper portions of thevertical flanges, transverse floor beams consisting ot' angle ironscentrally crossing on and in Contact With the top of the center- -silland havino their portions at opposite sides thereof s ightly downwardlyinclined and having their extremities engaged under the horizontalflange members ot' the sidesills and vertically applied rivets unitingthe floor beams centrally to the top member of the center-sill and attheir extremities to the side sills. l

'-l. In an under-frame of a railway car a longitudinal center-sillconstituted by an inverted channel iron, opposite longitudinal sidesills constituted by angle irons compris ing vertical side flanges andhorizontal flanges inwardly extended from the upper portions of thevertical flanges, transverse floor beams centrally crossing on and incontactwiththe top of the center-sill and hav- 'ing their extremitiesengaged in contact against the horizontalmembers of the sidesills, saidfloor beams being constituted by angle irons having the vertical membersthereof at their central portions bent toward, and folded in facewisecontact under the horizontal meml'iers, and rivets for uniting the floorbeams centrally through the superposed portions thereot' to the back ofthe fenter-sill, and at' its extremities to the side sills.

5. ln an underlrame ol a railway car, a center-sill composed ota,longitudinally continuous inverted channel iron, opposite side .sillsconstituted by angle irons comprising vertical outwardly disposed sideflanges and horizontal flanges inwardly extended from the upperlnortions ol:l the vertical flanges, a bolster ci'm'iprising a blockhaving a narrowed upper portion theieotl engaged and tilted under andwithin the center-sill con stit'uling'channel iron and transverselyarrangfjed upper and lower tous members, the upperV one engaging overthe top ot' the center -.sill amlhaving its extremities engaged underthe horizontal tlanges ol the side sills und havingits portions atopposite sides thereot'` upwardly and outwardly inclined and havingl itsextremities engaged under the end portions ol the upper truss under saidside Isill horizontal flanges, means tor.-

uniting, at the center ol the structure the center-sill, the said blockand intermediate portions ot said truss members, and'rivets connectingthe extremities ol said bolster truss membersl with eachother and withthe side-sill flanges.

In a railway car undert'ramefa longitudinal continuous inverted channeliron constituting a center-sill, opposite side sills constituted byangle irons havmf outwardly disposed vertical flanges providlad at theirlower edges with longitiulinal continuous bulb enlargements, andhorizontal flanges inwardly extended trom the upper porti-ons ot' thevertical flanges, a bolster comprising an inverted U-shaped block havinglts upper portion narrowed,-and of step-shape, engaged and fitted in thece'nter sill inverted channel iron, a transverse upper truss membercrossing over and in Contact with thetop of the center sill and havingits portions near its end engaged under the horizontal. flanges of theside sills and having its extremities downturned in engagement with theinner vertical faces of the side sill flanges and having its ends inengagement with said bulb enlargements, a lower truss member havingopposing portions upwardly and outwardly extended and having itsextremitics in facewise contact against the portions ot the upper trussmember which underlie said side sill horizontal flanges, means foruniting the extremities of the truss membersl to each otlic and to theside. sills, and means t'or uniting at the center ot-t-he structure thecenter-silh said block and the intermediate portions ot' said trussmembers.

7. ln a railway car underframe', a longitudinal center sill constitutedby an inverted channel iron, opposite longitudinal side sillsconstituted by angle irons having' their ver tical members outwardlydisposed and their horizontal flanges inwardly extended from the topsotl said vertical members, transverse metallic lloor beams centrallycrossing in contact on the top ot' the center sill and united theretoand having their extremities connected with the horizontal flanges ot'the side sills, a bolster comprising a block, the upper portion of whichis engaged within the inverted trough-shaped center sill, and upper andlower truss members, one crossing` over lhe'center sill and theotherunder said block and having their extremities converged aud connected tothe side sills, means lor uniting, at the center ol the structure, thesaid bloclt, the bolster trussmembers and centi-:r sill, and one or moretransversely arllt) ranged transom beams under andy centrally connectedto the center sill and saddle blocks secured to the verticalianges ofthe side sills and to which the extremities oi the irons arranged asdescribed and constituting side sills, metallic transverse floor beamscrossing by the middle portions on the top of the center-sill and unitedthereto and having their extremities connected under the hori zontalflanges of the side sills, seddle bloeks connected to the lower portionsof the side sill flanges, transom bers transversely ex- *tending fromone side sill to the other; end- Wise supported on and connected to saidsaddle blocks und intermediately connected v to the center-sill belowwhich it is disp0sed,.

truss rods connected to the side sills and extending below the saddleblocks and struts connected with and depending below the suddle blocksand with which said truss rods are engaged Signed by me at Springlield,Mass., in l presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CLIFFQRD F. RICE. Witnesses 'Gn R. DRIsCoLL, WM. S. BnLLu/s.

